Calderdale Council is set to award the highest honour to three of the borough’s kindest people, in recognition of their extraordinary contributions to the area.
Preparations are now underway for a ceremony in March 2026 to officially grant Freedom of the Borough to Colin and Gillian Greenwood and Chris Harris DL, after approval was given at the Full Council meeting on Wednesday 26 November 2025.
Freedom of the Borough is the highest award that a council can bestow, and is for outstanding services to a place. The title doesn’t convey any legal rights or responsibilities, but allows a ceremonial role at civic functions.
Philanthropists the Greenwoods have made generous financial contributions to many local projects benefiting the community. This includes over 50 grants for the arts, sport and helping people in need through food banks and other forms of support; significant contributions to the Duke of Wellington statue in The Woolshops in Halifax and the works at Halifax Minster; and investments in regenerating parts of Hebden Bridge and Todmorden.
Chris Harris DL is a former Deputy Lieutenant for West Yorkshire – a role in which she represented the Monarch at official engagements. She is deeply involved with numerous local charities and with the Community Foundation for Calderdale as a Founder Director and Life Vice President. Chris is also part of the team running Halifax Heritage Tours, a volunteer-run organisation promoting local heritage, and is known for coining the well-known phrase, ‘Magic Halifax’.
The Mayor of Calderdale, Cllr Steven Leigh MBE, said:
“Calderdale is known for its kindness, and we’re extremely lucky to have such generous people who do so much for our borough.
“Colin and Gillian Greenwood and Chris Harris are just three of these extraordinary people, and they have gone above and beyond for many years to give back to our communities.
“It was a proud moment at Full Council to give them the recognition they deserve, and I am very much looking forward to making their Freewomen and Freeman titles official at our special Freedom of the Borough ceremony in March.”
The other most recently bestowed Freewomen of the Borough are Sally Wainwright for placing Calderdale on the international map through her acclaimed TV dramas, and Hannah Cockroft (also a former Deputy Lieutenant of West Yorkshire) for her eminent para-athlete achievements and motivational speaking.